I originally processed and posted this here several years ago and was not happy with it. I finally have gotten around to reprocessing it and like it better this time around. Please give me your thoughts and suggestions!
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Any and all.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
I orginally liked the structure of the limbs as well as the light/color. I would appreciate your thoughts on those items as well as any general thoughts and recommendations for improvements.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Nikon D810 w/ Nikkor 80-400 @ 230mm, 1/250 @ f/11, ISO 560, Tripod
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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Cypress Structure
Nathan’s Revision
Dick’s Revision
2 Likes
Hi Bill,
I like the graphic form of the trunks in this image. The colour to me represents spring vibrance after a long winter.
I think it works as is. Another interpretation might be to mute the contrast a bit in the upper midtones and highlights and to reduce the opacity of the trunk. You’d be giving up some texture but it might accentuate the form of the trunk more.
3 Likes
Bill, I really like the light and graphic shapes in the tree. There are a lot of V-shapes and triangles that keep my eye moving across the image, so lots for the viewer to engage with here. I also like how the repeating V-shapes recede into the background, creating an overlapping 3D effect. I think you have also done a very good job of handling the arrangement of the branches as they exit the frame, you achieved nice positioning. While there is a lot of negative space in the LRC, I think it actually helps to balance all the detail above.
The light here does create a nice flavor of spring. Excuse my ignorance since I’m from the northeast, but cypress trees are coniferous, correct? Do their needles naturally have more yellow in spring before turning green, or is the yellow color here more a reflection of being in really warm light?
1 Like
In this case, I think it was the warm light plus I boosted to yellow slightly in the white balance. Cypress do lose their leaves and they provide some beautiful color in the fall, which down here usually occurs in mid to late November.
I too like the graphic nature of the tree’s limbs Bill and the lovely spring color. Nathan’s tweaks do accentuate the tree’s structure more.
Bill, you had a fine eye for the textures in this scene. I am glad you dug it out and showed it. I am really attracted to the interacting paths of the branches, To me, the leaves, while verdant, have so much texture that they compete a lot with the branches I enjoy. I tried to blur the leaves with an Orton effect; that resulted in a quite different image. Not sure it is anybody’s cup of tea.
@Nathan_Klein, @Ed_McGuirk, @Eva_McDermott, & @Dick_Knudson. Thank you all for your comments and for the reworks. I now like parts of each. Dick, I like the idea of some Orton effect but I think you may have taken it too far for my taste. Nathan, I like your branches/limbs better but I prefer my warm coloration. I will continue to play with it. Thanks everyone.
